


A Lone Pup

by JillyWinchester



Category: Criminal Minds (US TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Werewolf, Complete, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fluff, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Pack, Pack Bonding, Pack Building, Pack Cuddles, Pack Dynamics, Pack Family, Pack Feels, Team, Team Bonding, Team Dynamics, Team as Family, Teambuilding, Wolf Pack
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-02
Updated: 2018-04-04
Packaged: 2019-04-17 03:03:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 3,310
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14179125
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JillyWinchester/pseuds/JillyWinchester
Summary: Aaron Hotchner, Alpha of the BAU pack, has a problem.  A big problem that makes even the council, a group of alphas who got together to drink coffee and talk politics, shake their heads in wonder.  Aaron has a new pup.  Which was fine, they had been trying for a pup for a while despite their line of work, but this wasn’t an ordinary pup.This pup is Dr. Spencer Reid.  He isn’t actually a pup, but his growth was stunted when he never shifted.  Spence is an adult in wolf terms, 26.  But when he shifts, Spencer is still blind and deaf, a helpless newborn.  Spencer doesn’t even know he’s a wolf.  His file says human, but every shifter, even the lions and leopards, sense him._________





	1. The Smell of Pup

**Author's Note:**

> This takes place in Season 3, Rossi has joined the pack and Reid will join him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter, Reid is referred to as "dangerously skinny" because he hasn't shifted yet, ever. This is taking a toll on him and making him skinnier. A commenter pointed out that the weight I originally had for Spence was implausible, so I put him as dangerously skinny.
> 
> By the way, Thanks to that commenter: Village_Mystic

Change can be good, and change can be a pain in the ass, Aaron wasn’t quite sure which one this was.

He was to pick a new team member. Strauss was breathing down his neck, complaining that he had to pick one of the people in the files she had dropped off at his office.

But none of these people were good enough. Except for Dr. Spencer Reid. He was young, only 26, but he had been in High School at 12 and spent the rest of his time searching for degrees. IQ of 187, good work ethic, fast reader. He looked good. But he was human.

Hotch had nothing against humans, he just wasn’t sure if he could deal with such a vulnerability in the field. Plus, Dr. Reid was as skinny as a stick and only got to be in the field for his smarts.

But that's the thing, Dr. Spencer Reid was smart; and probably worth every one of his vulnerabilities.

* * *

 

The day Dr. Reid shows up, everyone senses it. Pup. There is no stronger sense to a wolf than that of a pup. Aaron tries his hardest to ignore it when he interviews Reid (a formality really, when Reid walked through that door, Aaron knew).

“So,” Hotch opened Reid’s file, “it says here your father was a wolf, but your mother was a human,”

“Yes, sir”

“-and your mother was diagnosed with schizophrenia just after you were born,”

“Yes, sir,”

“Have you ever taken a status test, Dr. Reid?”

“No, I didn’t think I needed too,”

“Alright. You’re hired,”

“Thank you, sir, this is a wonderful opportunity!” Reid leaped from his seat, grinning like an idiot.

“Sit down Dr. Reid, there’s something I have to discuss with you,”

Reid’s face fell. “Of course sir,”

“My team, is a pack of wolves,” Aaron waited for Reid to react, but he didn’t even flinch. “We live together, but act professionally in the field.” Hotch smiled. “Well, as professional as you can be when you put a family in such high stakes. You understand?”

Reid nodded, smiling. “Yes, sir,"

* * *

 

"Did you guys smell pup earlier?” asked JJ that night in the bedroom. Everyone was snuggled together in the enormous bed.

“Yes”

“Yeah”

“I was gonna mention that earlier”

“I thought someone had just been walking a kid from social services around,”

“That was Dr. Spencer Reid,”

“What?” Rossi asked, shocked. “That new kid?”

“Yeah, I interviewed him today, he smelt like pup so bad. Practically hurt to not shift,”

“But I dug into his history!” Garcia sat up suddenly. “He’s listed as human everywhere!”

“He probably doesn’t even know he’s a wolf,” Emily sat up too, well, so much for snuggling. “There have been cases where people avoid shifting because they distrust those around them,”

Derek sighed. “How terrible a life would you have to have if you didn’t trust anyone around you?”


	2. Suspicious

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Spencer realizes his coworkers have been extra affectionate lately.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know it's sucky and short, working on the next chapter.

    After a few months, Spencer knew something was up. He knew packs were affectionate family units, but this was going a bit too far.

    JJ was handing him food every chance she got, complaining that he was dangerously thin.

    Morgan was teaching him hand to hand combat, saying “Can’t afford to lose you in the field, pretty boy,”.

    Prentiss kept telling him how to get out of a situation with someone bigger than you. “Make sure to not openly reject them, but try and make an excuse. You’ve got a meeting in the morning or your head hurts or you have to get to your boss or he’ll be worried sick,”

    Hotch kept telling him how to deal with other packs when they’re on a case. “Make sure you’re respectful but firm. If they lash out, let me deal with it. I don’t want you hurt,”

    Garcia was coaching him on how to take care of his hair (Sometimes even sneaking behind him and doing it for him). Because apparently, it was too frizzy.

    Rossi, Rossi just wouldn’t leave him alone. He played cards, chess, even stood and talked with him.

    And it’s not like he doesn’t like this. He loves that people are acting like they care for him. But it's suspicious. It's really suspicious because why would someone want to give him more affection than socially acceptable. Why would someone hold the door open or give advice or spend time after work with him?  He was weird and he rambled a lot and he wasn't even a wolf, so why would they want to hang out with him?

 

    He decided to google it.

 

Wolves being extra affectionate to humans

Wolves mothering humans

Wolves taking humans into their packs

Why are my coworkers being extra affectionate?

 

    Then when that didn't work, he checked out a few books on shifter phycology.

 

    Nothing gave any answers.

    

    And of course, he didn't say anything.  He couldn't.  This was just too good.  He'd never had anything like friends before, everyone else thought he was weird and hated him for how smart he was.  These guys, they loved it.  They didn't make fun of him and from what he could tell they didn't gossip about him to other workers.

 

    But of course, it was suspicious.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, I know it's sucky and short, I'm working on the next chapter right now, I just felt that this would be a good place to stop off.


	3. Hurt

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Reid gets hurt. They take him home.

****

Aaron shouldn’t have let Spencer in the field in the first place, and now he was in the hospital.

 

Their killer, Mr. Stanley Dean, kidnapped Reid in an attempt to bait their team and spit in the face of their pack.  

 

And the bait worked.  Derek and Hotch ripped into the house, not caring about protocols and shifting right there.  Hotch grabbed Reid and Morgan went a little overkill on Mr. Dean. Nobody dared say anything though.

 

Now Reid was in the hospital, looking as thin and small as ever.  Everyone was crowded around his bed, worried sick. 

 

Reid stirred, “What ‘appened?”

 

“Oh my gosh!”  Garcia jumped up and gave Reid a big hug.  “We were so worried!” Reid smiled. It was nice to be hugged.

 

“What happened?” he asked again.

 

“What do you remember?”  JJ held his hand.

 

“Uh, Stanley, he was torturing me, and uh, then he heard sirens, and knocked me out.”  

 

Derek pursed his lips.  “We found you, you were in and out of consciousness. You lost a lot of blood, pretty boy, you almost coded on the table,”  Derek didn’t think he should mention how pup-like Spencer had acted in the ambulance.

 

“I had to go into surgery?”

 

“Yes,”  Hotch squeezed his shoulder gently.

 

“Scared us big time, kid,”  Rossi smiled, trying to hide his anxiety.

* * *

 

They dispatched Reid a day later (only because Strauss was breathing down their necks, Reid could take a few days off when they got back to Quantico), but no one was ready to let the pup go.  

 

“Hey pretty boy, why don’t you let us take care of you?”  Derek asked as he helped Reid get his stuff.

 

“What do you mean?”  Reid knew exactly what Morgan meant.

 

“I mean, Reid, you probably shouldn’t even be driving, maybe you could-’

 

Hotch interrupted Morgan, “stay with us Spencer, at least for a few days,”

 

Reid looked around, they were serious.  Hotch and Morgan wanted him to stay at their house.  Wait, no, they probably feel obligated too. “I’m fine, really, you guys don’t have to do that, I don’t want to bother y-”

 

Suddenly, Rossi, JJ, Emily,  and Garcia walked in “You wouldn’t be bothering us!”  Garcia yelled. “We want you to come!”

 

Wow.  They all looked, sincere.  “Really?”

 

“Really, Pretty boy,”


	4. Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Reid Shifts

Reid was half-asleep in the car, so Derek carried him in.  They set him up on the big couch in the living room, thinking that he wouldn’t want to sleep with them.

 

They all sit with him and watch a movie, he’s so precious.  But after a few minutes, Spencer disappears. Well, no, he  _ shrinks.   _ Under the blanket is now a newborn wolf pup.

 

Rossi, JJ, Emily and Garcia shift immediately, but Morgan and Hotch stay behind.  “He’s so tiny, looks like he was born a few minutes ago,” says Morgan.

 

“I know, I expected him to be a little older than this, did you stock up on puppy milk?  I’m not sure if any of the girls will be able to go into false pregnancy so soon,” Hotch walked over to the fridge.

 

“Yeah, I did, but it’s in the top shelf of the pantry, I didn’t make it yet though, thought it would be a bit suspicious to make a baby bottle as soon as Reid got home,”  Home. Morgan was already referring to this as Spencer’s home. He ran upstairs to grab the den, a huge cardboard box filled with blankets, stuffed animals, and pillows they’d made for Reid a while ago, as Hotch made the bottle.  

* * *

  
  


They took a leave for a week, man would Strauss be mad.  But they didn’t care. It was pack business, Reid was part of their pack now, and Strauss couldn’t do anything about it.

 

The whole week, they took turns staying up with Spencer, feeding him, grooming him, and comforting him.  Spencer was blind and deaf, soon he would open his eyes and ears but now he was probably scared and confused.  So they took turns snuggling with the tiny pup.

 

“Will he come live with us?”  Asked Garcia at the breakfast table.  She was bottle feeding Reid, looking down sweetly at him.  

 

“I don’t see why not,” answered JJ, sipping her coffee.  “We’ll have to explain everything to him, his main concern would probably be us babying him,”

 

“Yeah,” Garcia looked down at Spencer, a little bundle of fluff.  “I hope everyone can separate this Spencer and that one,”

 

Rossi put down his newspaper, why he wouldn’t go digital, Garcia would never know.  “That shouldn’t be too hard, what I’m worried about is Reid shifting back in time for work,”

 

“Do you think he’ll have a problem?”  Emily asked, furrowing her brows.

  
  


“Usually, kids are allowed to open their eyes and ears, but Spencer only has a week to grow, and might not get enough time,”

 

“But won’t Spencer grow faster because he’s an adult in his human form?”  Derek put down his coffee.

 

“Yes and no, he will grow faster, but he’s not a rocket, I’m just not sure if we’ve given him enough time,”

 

Garcia nervously scratched Spencer behind the ears, “We could get another few weeks off for parenthood,”

 

“ _ We  _ could,” said Hotch.  “But what are we supposed to say about Reid?  He’s marked as human. We’d have to bring him into the state office to get his status changed, and I don’t think anyone’s comfortable bringing a newborn into such a public place, he might get sick,”

* * *

 

Later that night, in the den, Spencer shifts back.  He’s pretty surprised to be in a huge cardboard box, naked and surrounded by wolves covered in childish blankets.  There were even a few stuffed animals. 

 

One wolf was awake.  It was sleek and blonde, it looked at Spencer with wide eyes, and then it shifted into JJ.  JJ was completely naked and didn’t seem to care that Spencer was seeing her like this. He averted his eyes, but she didn’t notice.

 

“You shifted!” She said excitedly and began to poke at the other wolves surrounding her.  “Guys! He shifted, come on, Rossi, wake up,”

 

Soon, everyone was up, shifted, and completely naked.  The cardboard box seemed a whole lot smaller when everyone in it was human.human.

 

“I don’t know about you,” said Derek, shifting uncomfortably, “But I’m a bit too big for this den right now.”

 

Everyone nodded in agreement and got out of the ‘den’, fetching clothes and some remarking how cold it was.  But Spencer still had questions. “What just happened? Last I remember, we were watching a movie on the couch, now, now I don’t even know,”

“Spencer,” Derek said gently as he handed him his clothes “that was a week ago.”

 

“What?!”

 

“You shifted,”  Hotch pulled out his phone, and pulled up a bunch of pictures of a newborn wolf cub.

 

“I,” Reid needed to sit down, he can’t have shifted, he wasn’t capable, he was human “But, I’m human?”

 

“Reid, we sensed you were a pup the moment we met you, we just waited for you to trust us,”  Prentiss rubbed his back, but he pushed her away.

 

“I, I can’t be a wolf, I,” Spencer ran his hands through his hair, this couldn’t be happening.  “My dad left because I wasn’t a wolf, I would have shifted for him, I can’t be a wolf,” 

 

“Spencer,”  Rossi crossed the room to stand in front of Reid.  “You may not have shifted because you didn’t trust any of the wolves around you,”

“I,”  Spencer decided to ignore the problem.  “What’s that thing?” He pointed at the den.

 

“It’s a den,” said Hotch.  “We knew you were very young, and probably not ready to be roaming, so we made you that a little while ago.”

 

Spencer cleared his throat.  "What happens now?"

 

"Now," said Rossi, sitting on the couch.  "We get your status changed and you join the pack.  We take care of you when you shift and you decide what happens when you're human."

 

"Will I be a pup forever?"  Spencer wasn't looking forward to being babied his whole life.

 

"No," Garcia answered, squeezing his shoulder.  "You'll grow faster than a normal pup, soon you'll reach your normal age and be able to run with us,"


	5. Status

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Reid gets his status changed

    When Spencer awoke the next morning surrounded, this time, by humans in pajamas, it all still felt so surreal.  He sat and waited for someone else to wake up, he felt awkward getting up and walking around alone in someone else’s house, even if he was “part of the pack now”.

 

    Emily woke up first.  She looked him over, no doubt profiling him.  “You should move in,”

 

    “What?”

 

    Prentiss leaned over and started to run her hands through his hair.  “You should move in. It’s normal for packs to live together, and we can take care of you better here.”

 

    “You keep saying ‘take care of me’ like I’m helpless or something,”

 

    “Spencer,”  Emily sighed and stopped playing with his hair.  “You are helpless. Not now, but when you’re in your wolf form, you haven’t even opened your eyes yet.  You can’t even walk. You will soon, but remember you’re still a pup Reid, we want to take care of you, it’s instinctual,”

 

    “I.. Okay”  Spencer bowed his head.  “If everyone else is okay with it, then I’ll move in.”

 

    When everyone woke up, Emily broke the news.  “Spencer’s moving in!”

 

    Everyone simultaneously turned to Spencer, smiling.  Garcia actually came up and hugged him. “We’ll pick up your stuff later tonight, but right now I think you should go to the Doctor,” said Hotch.

 

    “The Doctor?  Why? I feel fine,”

 

    “When we change your status, they’ll want a Doctor’s note, and if you don’t have one they’ll just give you a doctor, we wanted one we trusted,”  Rossi answered, flipping their pancakes.

 

    “Alright,”

* * *

 

    Reid decided to sneak away to call his mom.  

 

    “Hello?”

 

    “Mom?”

 

    “Spencer?  Are you okay?  You never call this early in the morning,”  Crap.  It was 5 AM in Los Angelas

 

    “I’m fine Mom, really, I just… I’m moving,”

 

    “Moving?  Why? You’re not leaving the FBI are you?”

 

    “No, I.. I’m a wolf Mom,”  Spencer heard nothing from the other line.  “Mom?”

 

    “Are you sure?”

 

    “Yeah, I, um... I shifted,”

 

    “Do you have a pack?”  Wow, she didn’t seem too surprised.

 

    “Yeah, they took care of me when I shifted,”

 

    “Took care of you?”

 

    “Apparently because I’ve never shifted, I’m a pup in my wolf form, but I’ll grow faster and get to my normal age soon.”

 

    “Soon?  How long?”  Oh. Spencer didn’t know that.  He’d left the subject of werewolves alone ever since Dad had left.

 

    “I.. don’t know.  Soon,”

 

    “Can I talk to your alpha? Or pack leader or whatever?”  Just then, Hotch appeared behind him. Reid handed him the phone.

 

    “Mrs. Reid?”

 

    “Take care of my boy, I’m sure you are familiar with a mother’s rage, Mr. Hotchner, do not tempt mine,”  How did she know Hotch was Reid’s alpha?

 

    “Yes ma’am,”  Hotch smiled. “My pack has been very protective of Spencer, even before he shifted.  

 

    Hotch gave the phone back to Spencer.  “Love you, Spencer,”

 

    “Love you, Mom,”

* * *

 

    Spencer sat in the back seat of an SUV with Hotch, Rossi, and Garcia.  Everyone else was in a second SUV, Spencer wasn’t exactly sure why they _all_ insisted to come with him, but he didn’t mention it.  

 

    “How do you know this Doctor?”

 

    “I’ve known Dr. Stevens for years, she’s practically a family friend,”

 

    Reid nodded, feeling awkward with nothing to say. Sensing this, Garcia turned on the radio.

 

    When they got there, Spencer felt he had a bunch of bodyguards.  JJ, Prentiss, and Garcia surrounded him, and Morgan, Hotch, and Rossi surrounded them.  Hotch took the lead, taking them upstairs to Mrs. Hannah Stevens’ office. Even in the waiting room, Reid sat in the middle and everyone else surrounded him.

* * *

 

    “Dr. Reid, I’m afraid you have lykos,”

 

    “Lykos?”  Reid looked around, everyone looked like their world had just crashed

 

    “Lykos,” answered Dr. Stevens.  “Occurs when a shifter ignores their other form.  Along with being younger in their other form, they are extremely thin, fatigued, have extreme hunger, and their immune system begins to weaken.  It is a serious condition, I will prescribe you some meds to help your immune system, and you are not to go to work until I check up on you and see that you are healthy.”

 

    She turned to Hotch.  “Do you want to add him to your plan?”

 

    “Yes, he’s one of us now.  We’ll also need a note from you for the state department,”  She nodded and scribbled something down on her clipboard.

* * *

 

    The State Department was next, and Rossi called Strauss in the car.

 

    “Strauss, Reid has Lykos, we’ll be taking a while off for pack business,”

 

    “Lykos?  That’s impossible!  Reid’s human!”

 

    “No, he’s not Strauss, how do you think he got Lykos?  People kept telling him crap like that,” Rossi hung up suddenly.

 

    “You guys don’t all have to stay with me, I don’t want to bother you, plus, Rossi you’re probably itching to go back in, I don’t want to stop you from doing what you love,”  Spencer leaned up to Rossi from the back seat, trying to talk some sense into him.

 

    Hotch abruptly pulled the car over and turned around.  “Spencer, **_you are not a bother.  You are our pack. We will fight for you, and take care of you._ ** ”  Hotch cupped his face in his hands.  “ **_You are pack.  And pack always comes first.”_ **

 

    Reid felt such a swell of love and trust and safety that he didn’t know what to do.  His eyes began to water and he looked around, Garcia and Rossi were giving him the same loving look that Hotch was, and he couldn’t take it.  He shifted. He didn’t know how, but he felt so safe in that car on the side of the road, he let himself be vulnerable for once in his life.


	6. Safe and Sound

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Spencer feels safe

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the end! I feel very proud of this fic, especially considering it's my first. Thanks for liking it! Please Comment <3

    JJ, Emily, and Derek watched as the other car pulled over suddenly.  Morgan pulled over too, and they all got out of the car. 

 

    “What happened Hotch?” asked JJ, but then she saw Spencer and Garcia, both in wolf form.  Garcia had curled up, snuggling Reid to her.

 

    “He, didn’t think he was worthy of us staying home with him, we told him otherwise and he shifted,”  Hotch explained, looking warmly at Reid and Garcia. “He must’ve felt safe.”

    Reid’s pack loved him, they took care of him, made sure she ate, and over the course of a year, they raised him.  Most importantly, they made him feel safe, like he belonged.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the end! I feel very proud of this fic, especially considering it's my first. Thanks for liking it! Please Comment! <3


End file.
